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Post by themotherhen on May 1, 2020 1:45:19 GMT
Okay, my neighbor gave me, no joke, about 60 soaked okra seeds. I have planted about half of them but I was wondering what in the world will I do with okra? I have already offered started plants to the local food pantry but how many okra plants will keep a family fed? And how on earth do I cook it so that it isn't slimy?
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Post by TxGal on May 1, 2020 1:58:51 GMT
Fried!
Fried okra is bliss!
And not slimy at all. Truth be known it's the ONLY way to eat okra as far as I'm concerned.
I have an ice cream bucket in my freezer that is half corn meal half flour and some s&p. Everyday I cut my okras up, drop them in the bucket, shake to coat, and back into the freezer.
I fry 'em in bacon grease when ever we get the hankering.
No such thing as too much okra.
I do stew them with tomatoes for dh. He loves it that way and all the kids love pickled okra so I do that for them.
Btw, okra LOVES hot. I haven't even planted mine yet and I'm in zone 9
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Post by mtviolet on May 1, 2020 5:05:16 GMT
Pickled okra can't be argued with. crunchy and sour.
also sliced fresh okra in a pitcher of water, cooled overnight in the fridge, and drank the next day is supposed to help with diabetes. haven't tried that remedy, as I am not diabetic.
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Post by themotherhen on May 1, 2020 7:36:31 GMT
Fried! Fried okra is bliss! And not slimy at all. Truth be known it's the ONLY way to eat okra as far as I'm concerned. I have an ice cream bucket in my freezer that is half corn meal half flour and some s&p. Everyday I cut my okras up, drop them in the bucket, shake to coat, and back into the freezer. I fry 'em in bacon grease when ever we get the hankering. No such thing as too much okra. I do stew them with tomatoes for dh. He loves it that way and all the kids love pickled okra so I do that for them. Btw, okra LOVES hot. I haven't even planted mine yet and I'm in zone 9 Thanks! I just planted the seeds the other day, perhaps I should put them into black buckets to grow in zone 5/6? Mid-May maybe? It's super warm here this year. We had mosquitoes all winter long. |
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Post by themotherhen on May 1, 2020 7:38:01 GMT
Pickled okra can't be argued with. crunchy and sour. also sliced fresh okra in a pitcher of water, cooled overnight in the fridge, and drank the next day is supposed to help with diabetes. haven't tried that remedy, as I am not diabetic. Not diabetic here either but Dad is. I guess it couldn't hurt! I will try some pickle recipes, that's a good idea since my guys all love pickles! |
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Post by Jolly on May 1, 2020 10:54:43 GMT
I don't plant okra until I've got days in the 90's. In addition to some of the ways to cook it already mentioned, we also use it in gumbo.
I like the cowhorn variety, as you can let it get a little bigger between cuttings and it's still tender. Hard okra is useless.
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Post by mzgarden on May 1, 2020 11:21:01 GMT
In addition to the above ideas - I dehydrate a lot of okra. Pick, slice, dehydrate. It goes into just about every soup, stew and even chili all winter. I do make pickles.
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Post by daw on May 1, 2020 11:49:14 GMT
As Jolly says it needs to be warm for okra regardless
of where you live. Never soaked my seeds . Depending
on the kind 6 plants per person is about enough.
Putting okra in soups is a thickening agent. It is in most gumbo.
Fried, it goes well with potatoes, and/or green tomatoes.
I cut them and fry them all together, maybe add whatever
else that is garden fresh, radishes, green beans,.....
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Post by Jolly on May 1, 2020 13:53:53 GMT
Okra freezes well. The folks over at Deep South Homestead have a recipe for canning okra that can be fried later. I'm dying to try it.
About soaking okra seeds...Soaking overnight in water helps them come up faster after planting. If you don't have time to soak overnight in water, soak the seeds a couple of hours in bleach.
As for cutting okra, with the exception of cowhorn, you just about have to cut it everyday when it starts making. Maybe 3-4 inches and no longer.
Lastly, okra will respond to trauma. The old people used to cut a piece of switch cane and whip their okra. Believe it or not, it does work.
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Post by DEKE on May 1, 2020 14:42:45 GMT
wear long sleeves and gloves when you are picking okra. The leaves have tiny hairs that bother some people, causing itching and a rash. For me it's just a few minutes of minor itching, but DW is bothered for hours.
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Post by Jolly on May 1, 2020 14:54:02 GMT
wear long sleeves and gloves when you are picking okra. The leaves have tiny hairs that bother some people, causing itching and a rash. For me it's just a few minutes of minor itching, but DW is bothered for hours. Maybe the better looking you are, the more you itch? My wife will break out with a rash. I cut okra with no gloves, wearing a t-shirt and I don't itch at all.  |
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Post by DEKE on May 1, 2020 16:07:28 GMT
I cut okra with no gloves, wearing a t-shirt and I don't itch at all. When I lived in Yorkshire, I cut okra 25 hours a day, buck naked, biting the pods off with my teeth and if I scratched an itch, my father would beat me with a metal rod. |
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Post by Jolly on May 1, 2020 16:41:18 GMT
Yeah, but my dad would whip you with a speedometer cable....
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Post by themotherhen on May 1, 2020 17:59:17 GMT
Note to self:get gloves 🙂
Thanks for all the great advice!
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Post by daw on May 1, 2020 18:47:19 GMT
Green velvet is higher in allergy problems.
Cowhorn or any of the others I have tried did not
have the same effects of lip and hand swelling
and burning itch.
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